Real Sociedad beats Elche 3-1 as Job Ochieng makes La Liga debut

Real Sociedad made short work of Elche CF at the Reale Arena on February 7, rolling to a 3-1 victory in jornada 23 of La Liga EA Sports. Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side controlled proceedings from the opening whistle and had the match essentially wrapped up before halftime.

But the result was arguably the second most interesting thing that happened on the pitch. Job Ochieng, a 23-year-old Kenyan forward, came off the bench in the 65th minute to become just the third Kenyan player ever to appear in La Liga.

A comfortable afternoon in San Sebastián

Luka Sucic broke the deadlock in the 24th minute, giving Real Sociedad a lead they never looked in danger of relinquishing.

Mikel Oyarzabal doubled the advantage in the 37th minute.

Elche, to their credit, didn’t simply roll over. André da Silva pulled one back in the 42nd minute, giving the visitors a lifeline heading into the break.

Real Sociedad reasserted control in the second half. Orri Óskarsson put an exclamation point on the performance with a goal in the 89th minute, sealing the 3-1 final.

Ochieng writes a new chapter in Kenyan football

The milestone moment came in the 65th minute when Ochieng was introduced as a substitute. Born on January 17, 2003, the forward has been on Real Sociedad’s books long enough to earn a contract extension through 2028. Becoming the third Kenyan to feature in La Liga is no small achievement. Ochieng didn’t find the back of the net during his roughly 25 minutes on the pitch, but the debut itself was the story.

Matarazzo’s decision to bring Ochieng on with the score at 2-1 was also notable. That’s not garbage time. That’s a moment where the match is still theoretically competitive, suggesting the coach has genuine confidence in the young forward’s readiness for top-flight football.